How Veterinarians American Zoos
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How Veterinarians
and
American Zoos
Help
Endangered Species
A teacher resource
developed by the
American Veterinary Medical
Association
www.avma.org
Why have a teacher guide?
The goal of AVMA-sponsored 4th-6th grade learning activities is to heighten awareness of the
vital role that veterinary medicine plays in the lives of humans, animals, society, and the
environment. This initiative has five objectives:
• To teach children that there is an inseparable relationship between animals and humans
• To teach children that veterinary science makes vital contributions to our world
• To teach children that veterinary science significantly impacts their lives every day
• To interest young students in a career involving biology, mathematics, and applied
science
• To promote a greater understanding of the scope of veterinary medicine
What is an endangered species?
Endangered species are animals or plants at immediate risk of extinction because of habitat loss,
pollution, introduction of other species, or over-exploitation. Animals currently facing extinction include
one-third of all the earth’s amphibians, nearly half of all freshwater turtles, one in eight species of birds,
and one in four mammals. There are also more than 8,000 plant and algae species on the verge of
extinction.
What is the Endangered Species Act?
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 currently protects more than 1,200 U.S. plant and animal
species found on Federal lists as endangered or threatened with the possibility of becoming endangered.
These lists are the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and the List of Endangered and
Threatened Plants. An “endangered” species is one that is at risk of extinction throughout all or a
significant portion of its range. A “threatened” species is one that is likely to become endangered in the
foreseeable future. The National Wildlife Service also maintains a list of U.S. plants and animals that
could eventually be added to the federal list.
Worksheet copyright © 2007 American Veterinary Medical Association Page 1
Teachers may use for classroom support without further permission.
What laws protect endangered species?
There are international and U.S. laws in effect that offer protection to endangered species. Depending
upon the country creating the law, it may be a crime to capture or kill listed species, fail to act to recover
them, or harm their habitat or range. More information about laws in the United States is available at
www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html.
What is the IUCN and what does it do for endangered species?
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is the world’s
largest and most important conservation network. Use of the name “World Conservation Union” began in
1990, but the full name and the acronym still appear together as many people continue to know the Union
as IUCN.
The IUCN-World Conservation Union maintains a record called the Red List of the world's species
threatened with extinction. The Red List now includes 16,306 species—more than 7,800 animals and
more than 8,400 plants—that are critically endangered, threatened, or vulnerable.
What is the role of zoos in protecting endangered species?
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 brought public attention to the rate of loss of the world's animals
and birds. In response, the American Association of Zoos, Parks, and Aquariums started the Species
Survival Plan to improve genetic variety and ensure the survival of endangered species. By the year 2000,
200 survival plans were up and running. Zoos began creating more natural enclosures to house larger
groups of animals and improve reproduction rates. Zoo veterinarians play a vital role in monitoring the
health of captive animals, in disease research, and in the breeding of endangered species. Zoo
veterinarians use artificial insemination, embryo transfer, in vitro fertilization, and simpler techniques, like
hatching eggs of endangered birds in the lab to promote reproduction. As a result, today's zoos offer
many beautiful, natural habitat exhibits and veterinarians continue their efforts to protect and promote
populations of endangered species.
What else is being done to protect endangered species?
Recovery programs are now in place in many zoos to determine the actions needed to save a species
from extinction. In the United States and many other countries, these program help preserve species
through
• habitat restoration
• captive breeding efforts
• assisted reproduction efforts
• field research into behavior and reproduction
Saving endangered species in captivity and in the wild involves help from experts in many fields. Wildlife
biologists, ecologists, veterinarians, geneticists, behavioral biologists, reproductive biologists,
environmental educators, captive breeding specialists, geographic information specialists, environmental
policy makers, reserve managers, and legislators all work together to develop recovery plans.
One example of zoo veterinarians assisting wild and endangered species:
The Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center (HVMC) is a state-of-the-art animal hospital located at the
Wild Animal Park (San Diego). It has treatment rooms, a central surgery room, intensive care wards, and
a special area where X-rays are taken on small and large animals. There are also individual rooms for
animals waiting for treatment or recovering from surgery—complete with windows or skylights and even
outdoor sunbathing areas!
Worksheet copyright © 2007 American Veterinary Medical Association Page 2
Teachers may use for classroom support without further permission.
Some of the zoo animals are too big for treatment in the HVMC. Adult elephants, giraffes, and rhinos are
treated in their own field exhibits. In fact, San Diego Zoo veterinarians prefer to make "house calls"
whenever possible, and that's how most of the park's animal residents are treated. The veterinarians'
trucks are equipped just like a mobile hospital, with most of the supplies needed to help care for sick or
injured animals. Like humans, animals are more comfortable in their own familiar surroundings, but they
can be brought to the HVMC if they cannot be treated safely "at home."
What other areas are under study at American zoos?
• Habitat conservation:
o Protect, study, and manage the natural areas that support plant and animal communities
o Develop new conservation programs that utilize flagship species to protect associated
habitats
• Restoration biology:
o Revitalize functional ecosystems by restoring species to the wild
o Develop and optimize release programs, including evaluation of sites, candidates, and
strategies
• Wildlife health:
o Enhance the health and well-being of captive and wild populations through research
o Identify and characterize new pathogens and develop appropriate prevention and control
methods and strategies
Enrichment Ideas for this curriculum:
The timeline on your poster has examples of discoveries that help veterinarians treat animals and
physicians treat humans. Consider extending this lesson using this timeline.
1851— A French veterinarian, Dr. Tabourin, improved the hypodermic syringe to make it a more effective
tool for veterinary surgeons and physicians. This medical invention made it possible to give injections to
animals and people to treat or prevent disease.
1954—Tranquillizers were developed for use on animals and humans. When a person or animal is hurt,
tranquillizers calm them down so doctors can treat their injuries.
Worksheet copyright © 2007 American Veterinary Medical Association Page 3
Teachers may use for classroom support without further permission.Timeline activity: Ask students to create a similar timeline by researching facts about endangered
species. Answer questions such as:
¾ When did people begin worrying about the decline in animal populations?
¾ What laws are in place and when were they enacted?
¾ What organizations (zoos, the AVMA, the IUCN, etc.) care about declining animal populations?
¾ What dates can they add relating to these organizations (i.e., when were they founded and what
major reports have they created or conferences have they held)?
www.stlzoo.org/animals/about
theanimals/mammals/carnivor
es/polarbear.htm
Veterinarians at the St. Louis
Zoo are helping to save
endangered species. Ask
students to research and
report on what is being done
there for polar bears.
Research different zoos for
examples of their work with
endangered animals.
Glossary:
Amphibian — an animal capable of living both on land and in water
Captive breeding — process of breeding rare or endangered species in human controlled environments
with restricted settings, such as wildlife preserves and zoos
Climate change — variations in weather in a region over long periods of time using parameters such as
temperature and rainfall to measure shifts in the environment
Clinical pathologist — a medical doctor or veterinarian responsible for the diagnosis of diseases based
on the analysis of body fluids like blood or urine
Conservation — the protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and of natural
resources such as forests, soil, and water
Ecology — the science of the relationships between organisms and their environments
Flagship — the most important or leading member of a group
Genetics — branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of hereditary
transmission and the variation of inherited characteristics among similar or related organisms
Habitat — area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives
Pathogen — an agent that causes disease, especially a living micro-organism such as a bacterium or
fungus
Physiology — the study of the functions of living organisms and their parts
Reintroduction — the deliberate release of animals from captivity into the wild, usually involving species
that are endangered or extinct in the wild
Vulnerable — at risk of physical or emotional injury
Worksheet copyright © 2007 American Veterinary Medical Association Page 4
Teachers may use for classroom support without further permission.Additional Resources:
www.wildlifedisease.org Wildlife Disease Association
www.aazv.org American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
www.aza.org/ConScience/ConScienceSAGFact/ Association of Zoos and Aquariums
www.cres.sandiegozoo.org/ Conservation and Research for Endangered Species
www.dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/planet-earth.html Planet Earth Videos
www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/ex_polar_bear_plunge.html Polar Bears
www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/mammals/carnivores/polarbear.htm Polar Bears
www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/index.html San Diego Zoo
www.nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm Smithsonian National Zoo
www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html U. S. Fish and Wildlife
www.nwrawildlife.org/home.asp National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association
www.stlzoo.org/animals/veterinaryhospital/ Veterinary Hospital St. Louis Zoo
www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/ex_harter_vet_hospital.html Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center
www.fws.gov/endangered/kids/html/000.htm - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service site
www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/map.html Fact Sheets on Endangered Species
www.endangeredspecie.com/ Endangered species activities and information
www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/Endangered/ Exhibition of endangered animals
www2.lhric.org/pocantico/5thgrade99/animals.htm 5th grade stories about endangered animals
www.multcolib.org/homework/animhc.html Library of animal information
www.ecovetinternational.com Veterinarians in ecosystem health and wildlife conservation
Student Activities:
4th Grade Activity Sheet: Endangered Animals Right Here: The students will determine how many
endangered species currently exist in each state and graph their findings.
5th Grade Activity Sheet: Interesting Facts About Polar Bears: The students will work cooperatively in
small groups to learn five facts about polar bears from library and/or Internet research and share the facts
with the class.
6th Grade Activity Sheet: Zoos Helping Endangered Species: The students will research what
veterinarians in zoos are doing to prevent extinction of endangered animals using the impact of climate
change on polar bears as one example.
Vocabulary Cross Word Puzzle Activity Sheet: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the
vocabulary words by correctly solving a crossword puzzle using the definitions of each word as clues.
__________________
Worksheet copyright © 2007 American Veterinary Medical Association Page 5
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